MuCEM & Fort Saint-Jean

Where it is & how to get there

• Metro & tram: Metro 1 to Vieux-Port or tram T2 to République – Dames / Joliette, then a short walk.
• Bus: Buses 49 and 60 stop near Fort Saint-Jean.
• On foot: 15 minutes from the Vieux-Port along the north quay.

The story of the MuCEM

Fort Saint-Jean was built on the site of a 12th-century commandery of the Knights Hospitaller, and the square King René Tower was added in the 15th century. Louis XIV rebuilt it as a fortress in the 1660s, with its guns pointing at the city as much as the sea.

For Marseille's year as European Capital of Culture in 2013, architect Rudy Ricciotti built the MuCEM, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations: a cube wrapped in a lattice of black concrete, joined to the old fort by a long footbridge 30 metres above the water.

Best time to visit

Tips before you go

• The rooftop terrace and fort gardens are great for photos at sunset.
• You can walk the fort, its gardens and the footbridges for free, even without a museum ticket.
• The rooftop terrace has a café and one of the best views of the harbour.

What's around the MuCEM

• Cathédrale de la MajorThe huge striped cathedral just north of the MuCEM.
• Villa MéditerranéeA cantilevered building by the sea, next to the museum.
• Le PanierThe old quarter on the hill behind the fort.
• Les Terrasses du PortA shopping centre with a big sea-view terrace.

Questions travellers ask